I've reached the 10 day countdown to my next trip and I'm extremely nervous about travelling. Whilst my nerves will ease a little once I've checked in at London St Pancras ready to board the Eurostar direct to Disneyland, but the journey to London is freaking me out. I will be using the line between Peterborough and London Kings Cross on a Sunday and every so often they have issues along that line, which is why I fear the worst which is why I'll be taking the easiest train just so if there's any delays I will have time available.
Sorry to ramble on, I'm just an nervous traveller and would love some reassurance. What happens if I arrive late. There's only one direct train to Disneyland!!!
Quote from: itslizi on August 26, 2014, 11:55:28 PM
I've reached the 10 day countdown to my next trip and I'm extremely nervous about travelling. Whilst my nerves will ease a little once I've checked in at London St Pancras ready to board the Eurostar direct to Disneyland, but the journey to London is freaking me out. I will be using the line between Peterborough and London Kings Cross on a Sunday and every so often they have issues along that line, which is why I fear the worst which is why I'll be taking the easiest train just so if there's any delays I will have time available.
Sorry to ramble on, I'm just an nervous traveller and would love some reassurance. What happens if I arrive late. There's only one direct train to Disneyland!!!
I live in the Hitchin area and will be travelling to London on the same line as you on Sunday 14th September. There are engineering works that day but I've rung the train company and they said they won't affect Hitchin. However I feel the same as you, am in a panic about that journey, so am aiming to catch the first train that morning - 6.28. It'll mean getting to St Pancras 3 hours before the Eurostar is due to leave but I'd prefer to do that rather than catching a later train and panicking the whole time.
Quote from: Andybear on August 27, 2014, 12:06:45 AM
I live in the Hitchin area and will be travelling to London on the same line as you on Sunday 14th September. There are engineering works that day but I've rung the train company and they said they won't affect Hitchin. However I feel the same as you, am in a panic about that journey, so am aiming to catch the first train that morning - 6.28. It'll mean getting to St Pancras 3 hours before the Eurostar is due to leave but I'd prefer to do that rather than catching a later train and panicking the whole time.
It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one. I will be going on the 7th September and my boyfriend has checked and apparently there isn't any engineering works that day, but I'll have to double check.
Although I don't do mornings, I'll be departing Peterborough at 6:46 and arriving in London just after 8:00. I rather be there in good time, then be at risk of being late if my train is delayed.
I've used the line quite a few times between Peterborough and Stevenage when I used the route to get to and from University and there was once when I got delayed in Hitchin as there was a queue of trains ahead waiting due to a person jumping in front of a train in London, yet whilst it's only happened once, I can't help but worry has I have an important connection.
I swear I'm crazy.
Quote from: itslizi on August 27, 2014, 12:36:55 AM
I swear I'm crazy.
nah, not crazy, just a worrier like plenty of people. ;D
I've got similar feelings about my trip on the 14th, though I don't need to get to London, only Rotterdam and like you and Andy I will be taking the earliest train possible and be at my Thalys pick-up far earlier than needed just to be on the safe side. :D
Me and my family live in Stamford, one stop from Peterborough so we have to catch the same line. We always travel down the day before we need to get the eurostar and stay in London in a travelodge near st pancras. We're a family of worriers as well and we've found out this is the easiest option for us :)
If the worst happens and you miss the Eurostar direct there are other options to still get there on the day! There are indirect trains where you change at Lille and although you may be charged extra, you will still get there on the day.
Stop worrying and look forward to your trip!!!!!
Quote from: moopmoop93 on August 27, 2014, 08:08:52 AM
Me and my family live in Stamford, one stop from Peterborough so we have to catch the same line. We always travel down the day before we need to get the eurostar and stay in London in a travelodge near st pancras. We're a family of worriers as well and we've found out this is the easiest option for us :)
I have been tempted to go down the evening before and stay at a Hotel, but my boyfriend is reluctant as it's a waste of money now we have everything booked, and we didn't want to spend an extra £100 to go to Buffalo Bills so why am I willing to spend £100 for a hotel and train tickets just so I don't worry as much in the morning. I have a feeling that if there is a next time, I'll be travelling to London to night before. Nerves make me feel awful.
Quote from: captain rocket on August 27, 2014, 09:25:05 AM
If the worst happens and you miss the Eurostar direct there are other options to still get there on the day! There are indirect trains where you change at Lille and although you may be charged extra, you will still get there on the day.
Stop worrying and look forward to your trip!!!!!
It's hard to stop worrying, when you're a worrier. I think I'll be absolutely fine once I reach the waiting area at Eurostar. I suppose there is a couple of other trains, but I would worry about the change of train, just in case I don't know what I'm doing. Even if that happened and we missed our connection, as we'll be delayed by another train we have the chance to ask for compensation.
Thank you, I really can't wait for it - excitement overload.
St Pancras is not a bad place to spend a couple of hours anyway. There are plenty of shops and snack bars and you can get some nice photos taken by the big 'meeting place' statue. I always feel that the holiday begins when I get to St Pancras (or Waterloo back in the old days).
I did think about staying in a hotel in London on 13th Sept but I'm going solo and don't want to pay the single supplement on the room - I'd rather keep that money for spends when I'm at DLP. So I'll be at Hitchin railway station at 6.15 am to catch the 6.28 am train on Sunday 14th, panicking on my own!!
Incidentally, my travel documents arrived today - the postman delivered then when I was at work :-)
Quote from: Andybear on August 27, 2014, 07:43:11 PM
I did think about staying in a hotel in London on 13th Sept but I'm going solo and don't want to pay the single supplement on the room - I'd rather keep that money for spends when I'm at DLP. So I'll be at Hitchin railway station at 6.15 am to catch the 6.28 am train on Sunday 14th, panicking on my own!!
Incidentally, my travel documents arrived today - the postman delivered then when I was at work :-)
I don't envy you. I would freak out on my own.
Exactly, maybe my money would be better spend in the shops in Disneyland.
I don't have any documents to wait for, we printed our Eurostar tickets off, then our train tickets came quite a while back.
I'll have to leave the house at 5:40 to get to the station at Peterborough for 6:46, it's going to be a long, long, long day.
We tend to book it well in advance for the room overnight. Last time we went for a family of four in 2 rooms (2 ads in each) we paid 12.50 each for a travelodge just round the corner from st pancras. I work in travel so I'm a bit of a hotel snob but I found it to be okay, just for the one night :) xx
Quote from: itslizi on August 27, 2014, 11:36:43 PM
Quote from: Andybear on August 27, 2014, 07:43:11 PM
I did think about staying in a hotel in London on 13th Sept but I'm going solo and don't want to pay the single supplement on the room - I'd rather keep that money for spends when I'm at DLP. So I'll be at Hitchin railway station at 6.15 am to catch the 6.28 am train on Sunday 14th, panicking on my own!!
Incidentally, my travel documents arrived today - the postman delivered then when I was at work :-)
I don't envy you. I would freak out on my own.
Exactly, maybe my money would be better spend in the shops in Disneyland.
I don't have any documents to wait for, we printed our Eurostar tickets off, then our train tickets came quite a while back.
I'll have to leave the house at 5:40 to get to the station at Peterborough for 6:46, it's going to be a long, long, long day.
I'll be leaving home at 6.00 am and yes it is going to be a long day. I doubt if I'll do many rides when I get there that day. Will go up in the balloon if it's in operation and do some shopping. Have an early dinner then have a cocktail in the hotel bar :D Then an early night ready to start properly on the Monday :D
Quote from: moopmoop93 on August 28, 2014, 08:03:54 AM
We tend to book it well in advance for the room overnight. Last time we went for a family of four in 2 rooms (2 ads in each) we paid 12.50 each for a travelodge just round the corner from st pancras. I work in travel so I'm a bit of a hotel snob but I found it to be okay, just for the one night :) xx
If another trip is on the cards in the future, that's what I'm going to have to do least it will be a bit cheaper if booked in advance.
Quote from: Andybear on August 28, 2014, 08:28:44 AM
I'll be leaving home at 6.00 am and yes it is going to be a long day. I doubt if I'll do many rides when I get there that day. Will go up in the balloon if it's in operation and do some shopping. Have an early dinner then have a cocktail in the hotel bar :D Then an early night ready to start properly on the Monday :D
I think I'll be doing something quite similar, maybe go on some rides that aren't big thrills, watch the parade and grab some food. I would want to watch Disney Dreams on the first night though, as when the days go on my feet ache that I don't have the energy to walk back out to the park for Dreams.
O gosh you guys do make me giggle!
Try travelling from Scotland...for us its either a two and a half hour drive to the airport, up to a three hour check in, nearly a two hour flight, an hour for luggage and best part of an hour for transfer and check in! Or a 12-16 hour drive to dover depending whether we have our 28 foot caravan to drag, a 90 min check in plus 90 min ferry crossing then a four hour drive from calais. I wish we only had to worry about short train journeys or an overnight stop...whatever you are worrying about paying from southern england add at least another £100 per person for flights or fuel from north of the wall. Oh and we go straight to the park and hit it hard too! Honestly as my teenage daughter would say" man up princess!" It's only paris not the moon! :D
Quote from: Slimy yet satisfying on August 28, 2014, 02:11:34 PM
O gosh you guys do make me giggle!
Try travelling from Scotland...for us its either a two and a half hour drive to the airport, up to a three hour check in, nearly a two hour flight, an hour for luggage and best part of an hour for transfer and check in! Or a 12-16 hour drive to dover depending whether we have our 28 foot caravan to drag, a 90 min check in plus 90 min ferry crossing then a four hour drive from calais. I wish we only had to worry about short train journeys or an overnight stop...whatever you are worrying about paying from southern england add at least another £100 per person for flights or fuel from north of the wall. Oh and we go straight to the park and hit it hard too! Honestly as my teenage daughter would say" man up princess!" It's only paris not the moon! :D
Obviously, we don't have it the worst. However being a nervous traveller any travelling that takes a connection or something of the unknown makes me nervous as it's not something I do often. Paris is a long distance journey when that's the furthest I've ever travelled, the only time I've left England has been to go to Disneyland Paris. I don't know any different.
It's all down to personal preference when hitting the park on the first day, it's each to their own.
Same for me Lizi :) Couple that with social anxiety and you get a nice worry stew I assure you. ;D
I always dread my transfer in Paris Gare Du Nord to the metro, as that part of the station is such a maze.
Once I get to the RER station and embark for Marne la Vallée that all falls away, but until then...
I'm the same, a nervous traveller particularly when travelling on my own. I've done loads of solo travelling but it doesn't get any easier. I have mild mental health problems too which definitely doesn't help. It doesn't stop me from doing anything but does exacerbate my anxiety in those sorts of situations. I'll be fine when I'm on the Eurostar that Sunday but will be a bit of a wreck that morning till I get to London.
As I grow more confident going on solo vacations it has gotten a little easier, I'm generally fine once I'm on my way.
One habit I have gotten into is checking out the floor plan of any airport or transit hub I need to pass through well before I get there, to familiarize myself with the layout if that's possible.
Big unknowns remain an issue though, getting from airports / stations to hotels by taxi is something I dislike intensely, there are many variables and I can only account for a small number of them.
Especially on the American continent it's usually required as not all cities have good public transportation to take care of it (looking at you there Montreal... Lovely city, but it's public transit infrastructure is awful, taxis or limo-services are a must. Their metro-grid has all of 2 lines, for a city of 1.6 million that's a bit limited).
Not speaking the local language is also no help. My native tongue is Dutch, my English is more than passable, certainly good enough for general conversation, but beyond that only German is a language I feel any confidence in using (and it's quite rusty, I'd need a while to wake that stuff up again).
French is a language I can read just fine (which is a feature of quite a few languages oddly enough, even if I don't speak a word of it), but speaking it is certainly an issue. Those few words of French I recall I can use and pronounce properly, but holding a conversation is generally out of the question.
hmm, my apologies for the long winded post folks. :-[
It's interesting reading this thread, as I totally get the whole pre-travel worries thing; I can't sleep the night before a "big trip", as I lie in bed going over everything I'm going to have to do on the journey (we always drive to our holidays rather than taking trains or planes, as [in addition to the lower cost of doing so] I like to know I can be in control of our options should it go Pete Tong en-route, such as choosing an alternative route if there's a jam, etc.).
I have to make sure I factor in enough traffic jam contingency time to ensure we make the Tunnel in plenty of time, plus the overnight hotel stopovers, etc (did I even book them!).
But having just driven back home from our summer hols in Spain, I'm sat having a chuckle about your train journeys to St Pancras! As I say, I'm not mocking it, as I do it myself, but sitting here now the train to London feels like a quick trip to the shops, LOL.
I hope it goes well for you, and your DLP experience is great :D .
I can't drive so that's not an option for me - I would if I could as I'd like to stay at Davy Crockett. I could get a flight to Paris if I wanted to as I don't live very far from Luton Airport, - it's certainly closer to me than St Pancras International railway station. However I like the fact that Disney has it's own railway station so as soon as I'm on the Eurostar I don't have to worry about any more connections once I get to France, ie all the panicking is done at the beginning of the journey, once I'm on the Eurostar I can relax. This is the reason why I choose to go by Eurostar.